Russia is financing separatists in eastern Ukraine and paying salaries and pensions to residents of the Donbas, the former Donetsk commander, Alexander Khodakovsky, told Reuters.

The former Ukrainian special forces soldier switched to the side of the separatists in the beginning of the conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2014. According to him, he was the commander of hundreds of armed fighters and held high positions within the leadership of the so-called DPR.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has conducted an analysis of Ukraine’s economic situation as a result of the organization’s financial support programs to the country.

According to UN Radio, IMF experts concluded that the Ukrainian authorities have managed to implement a number of important economic measures. This is in spite of political tensions which resulted in a change in government in April this year. The experts especially made note of budget adjustments, an increase in gas and …

Daria Olifer, Press Secretary to Leonid Kuchma, Ukraine’s representative in the Trilateral Contact Group, reported that implementing the framework decision in the Donbas will continue under two conditions.

“Ukraine has consistently fulfilled its commitments on implementing this decision and the whole range of Minsk Agreements. That is why it will be continued. The withdrawal of weapons from Petrovske will take place on the 7th of October and the withdrawal of weapons from Stanytsia Luhanska …

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has appealed to international organizations and parliaments not to recognize the decision of the Russian courts to ban the activities of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars. The Ukrainian parliamentarians are also requesting to consider the possibility of imposing sanctions against the judges who made the verdict. A total of 248 deputies voted in favor of this decision on the 5th of October.

The Ukrainian Parliament called for measures that “will indicate the non- …

"Today, 156,500 soldiers, 109,000 non-commissioned officers and 47,500 commissioned officers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine are doing military service under contract," stated the spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Lieutenant Colonel Dmytro Hutsulyak at a briefing on Tuesday, October 4.

He stressed that the Ministry of Defense continues to increase the number of contracted soldiers and, accordingly, reduce the number of mobilized servicemen. Thus, more than 53,000 servicemen, …